chapter fifty-eight ;; pretty boy
third person
°☆.。.:*・°☆

"He's not okay." Taehyung mumbles for the nth time that night while pacing around the now empty hospital room only occupied by him, his brother and Jimin. Jeongguk had been urgently rolled down the hallway to one of those damned emergency rooms, and that's where he currently was, "I knew something was off about tonight. I knew it, and I did fucking nothing!" Taehyung shouts and nibbles on his already stubby finger nails. Yoongi and Jimin kept silent and gave the tall boy space to vent out his thoughts, "I-If something happens, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I-...I won't let another loved one of mine just leave. I don't deserve that pain, not again, not ever again, please-."

Yoongi slowly stood up from his seat, taking long strides over towards his brother's side, and his maroon suit scuffed together with each step, "He won't die, Taehyung." The elder speaks calmly, lifting a hand to rub the latter's wide back, "Guk's a strong soul. I know he is. He has a lot to live for too,- a happy life with you as well as all of us -and I feel like that's all the boy needs to push on. Just the thought of spending his life with you has kept him fighting for so long. You need to realize that, Taehyung, realize that Jeongguk looks up to you so immensely. No matter how intelligent he must sound, Jeongguk's just a young boy, younger than you, and he needs a role model." And Yoongi gave his little brother the biggest gummy smile he could muster at the grim moment, and Taehyung's heart was undeniably uplifted as Jimin's swelled with immense love and admiration.

"Thank you, Yoongi," Taehyung whispers after thinking for a few long moments, processing all he's said. It was a lot to take in.

"You should be thanking Jeongguk, really. He's the only reason why I'm talking to you like this because, in all honesty, that boy really did change you, and if you would've stayed in that douche football player state any longer, I would've killed you myself." Taehyung light heartedly laughs and takes note he has in fact changed for the better- nearly evolved by now.

"But that little bunny of yours has changed a lot too, you know." Yoongi looks down for a moment to sigh, "I really gotta stop being so sappy. I'm Min Suga for heaven's sake, the hardcore underground rapper!"

"The hardcore underground rapper who has a little boyfriend at home to worry about at all times." Jimin comments, standing up himself and walking next to Yoongi, leaning into him and placing his head on the mint boy's shoulder.

But a knock on the door had to silence everyone. It ripped through happy mindsets and sliced through attempts to be bright. Everyone's heads snapped at the infamous heavy oak door, and Taehyung swears his hands have never felt so clammy. Whatever was behind the door had the answer to him being filled with unexplainable joy or the answer to him crumbling into a million pieces beyond recognition, lose all hope in everything he's ever believed in.

The door slowly sways open, and a stiff male nurse stood with a firm stance and gaze weak. He looked like a doll in some sense with a lack of expression. That was never a good sign, Taehyung had learned from staying here for weeks and breaking down how doctors give bad news. He's watched devastation after devastation, and so Taehyung prepared for the worst, already feeling his clammy hands go completely numb, and fingers turn unresponsive.

"Kim Taehyung," the professional male begins in some sort of unreadable tone, looking down at his fancy clipboard, "Jeon Jeongguk wishes to see you."

Taehyung's never felt such a weight lift off of his shoulders, having to prevent himself from shouting in glee and joy. A prominent smile never left his grateful face, and he looks over at Yoongi and Jimin with such a pleasing feeling of true satisfaction. He almost felt on cloud nine.

"O-Of course. Is it okay if I bring my brother and his boyfriend with me?" Taehyung's voice was nearly too quick to understand with the need to see his fiancé buzzing harshly under his skin.

The nurse grins when nodding his head slightly before speaking, "Yes, you can, just come and follow me."

"I told you he'd be okay." Yoongi happily speaks. In all honesty, it was as if Yoongi was lying to himself for a moment there when giving the pep talk, trying to find his own hope in a situation like this.

Jeongguk collapsed into Jimin's arms earlier that day and caused the other to stumble and fight to stand upright again. Yoongi vividly remembers the orange haired boy screaming
Jeongguk's name in so much fear and pain over the sound of Taehyung's feet against the pavement and nurses rushing over, watching as the pale boy's head only lolled around. It seemed as if Jeongguk truly was dead at first sight. They barely found a pulse to begin with, his heartbeat weak and faint, body on fire in yet another feverous spell. No wonder Taehyung had been so terrified, but Yoongi shook off the unbalanced feeling for his own benefit.

"Here we are..." Is announced once they stop in front of a certain door. This was at the hospital's older wing, wallpaper peeling in places and cafeteria placed much closer. An almost identical oak door to the last was carefully opened, and everyone's heartbeats seemed to skip, watching the a chest quickly heave up and down. Jeongguk seemed to be laboring out the breaths, as if his nose was stuffed but his mouth was clamped, and so the boy's poor eyes and chest stung with ice enclosing the back of his head and throat in an arctic tingle.

Taehyung ran inside, forcefully pushing past everyone to look better. What used to be such a breathtaking boy with shimmering pearly skin and vivid black hair was now what appeared to be a skinny corpse continuing to struggle. The elder couldn't help but tear up at the morbid sight, watching Jeongguk take breaths with an oxygen mask and eyes barley able to stay open. They were weak slits fighting against a strong current of deep, deep sleep. The sick boy looked to be in more pain than ever, a deepened misery taking over in drowning waves.

This was hell, and Jeongguk's uproars to be killed already were heard throughout the small room. He whimpered to be set free, cried to be rid of the internal and external pain. His whole mind was rid of everyone he cared for and everyone that cared for him. Jeongguk didn't even understand his surroundings, death looming in so tightly. Taehyung almost didn't recognize the own love of his time while hearing the prominent cries.

"Baby," Taehyung croaks, aware of the close and observant eyes from others watching his every move, "i-it's me, Taehyung, y-your fiancé."

"T-Taehyung," Jeongguk cries into the oxygen mask. Wide eyes squeeze tightly shut into the radiating pain which resonates in his veins and extends to deep in his bones, a weak and unbelievably thin hand reaching up to tear the piece of plastic off.

"He needs to keep that on!" The doctor shouts on notice. Taehyung's own hand sharply moves up to put the mask back over Jeongguk's pale and dry mouth and draws a frustrated scream. The younger only cried even more.

"Let me die!" Jeongguk's voice practically rips his throat apart, "Please, let me die." Whole body shaking, he continues, "Taehyung, it hurts...My whole body- I can't take it any l-longer."

Taehyung kept his grip firm around the oxygen mask and gaze tightly held with the younger who was having such a large mental breakdown, anything beyond description, "I know, baby," he begins, voice soft, "I know that it hurts, and I know you want it all to end, but Gukkie, I can't let that happen. You can't let that happen. We both have too much ahead in our lives. We both have careers to pursue and happiness to be shared. Guk, we still need to share our first house together, get pets, b-become parents and grow old." He sniffs while watching Jeongguk shake and whimper through each word spoken by Taehyung. The paler's breaths grow short, and the elder finds himself even beginning to tremble on spot in absolute stark terror, the type that makes your limbs lock and blood frozen, "Baby, you need to stay strong, no matter how scared you are."

"I- I-" Jeongguk only lets out more inaudible words mumbled into the hectic air, causing Taehyung to break down more and more. He tried to keep Yoongi's encouraging words circling through his head, allow himself to become the role model for his lover to follow and pursue.

"Do you remember when I took you to that special first football game? Back when we weren't a couple, and we were going against those exo boys? Do you remember how you believed so strongly in me and told me I was going to win and that everything was going to end perfectly, and do you remember how your assumptions were correct?" Jeongguk struggles to nod but tries all he can to follow Taehyung's cracked words, "That's how I feel right now. I believe you're gonna get through this, Gukkie, and goddamnit, I've never felt so strong about it."

Jeongguk only remains to work his might towards staying conscious, Taehyung's grip tightening around the plastic mask in an attempt to make it give off more oxygen and help the fighting boy to breathe better. Even though the task didn't do anything at all, Taehyung felt safe about it, even though the elder boy knew Jeongguk's last moments might ticking down.

"Mph," Jeongguk whimpers and reaches up to loosely grip Taehyung's strong arm and wrinkle the steamed fabric, "ah- ah- eugh- n-ngh-" Taehyung's heartbeat was booming in his ears, adrenaline rushing and blood flowing. He listened to Jeongguk's trembling voice and incoherent noises closely, "hh- I- hh- hah." Something sounded off, and Jeongguk's eyes slowly found the back of his skull, whole body beginning slash around like a child with a tantrum.

"Shit, he's having a seizure!" The doctor, who had stayed in the room, shouts with a loud urgency and sticks his head out the window when shouting some more words. Everyone quickly rushed in, packs of IVs and different bottles of pills were rolled on carts. Even an electric heart-starter was displayed being rushed in, and Taehyung's whole body locked in on itself.

He was shouted at to move and leave the professionals to work, but time almost stopped. His dark brown eyes slowly looked back down at
Jeongguk, who twitched, eyes complete whites and face slack. Taehyung's grip around the oxygen mask had to be pried off by someone else.

The heart monitor was beeping at a fast pace and sounded like some sort of malfunctioning computer system, almost matching the heartbeat pounding through Taehyung's ears, as he was pushed back. His stiff body hit the floor, head slamming onto the tile but not caring one bit. There was no feeling of pain registering through his dazed mind. Two pairs of strong arms were soon wrapping around his own, dragging him out of the dimmed room.

"Clear!" Was shouted once. Jeongguk's impossibly glass body looked like it had been snapped in half when arching towards the stars, and Taehyung distantly payed attention to the flatline slamming into his every being. That's when he began to shout, kick and scream, fight to stay in the room and act as if everything was okay.

"Clear!" It's shouted once more, two metal objects rubbed together before placed onto such a tiny chest that used to hold beautiful hickeys, and Taehyung continued to screech, watching doctors and nurses rush around to do something- anything. They were all at a loss. They all knew what was truly happening.

A boy was about to lose his life.

"Clear!" Taehyung could barely hear the last word being shouted over his own voice. Every nurse and doctor slowed as the seconds turned into minutes and no hope to revive the flatline seemed to be on the horizon.

That's when a poor eighteen year old- soon to be nineteen -is thrown out of a dark, cold hospital room and pried away from the one he loves most. Everything in his body seemed to shut down. His mind's at a lost to even coherently piece the moments together.

Yoongi and Jimin had already been directed somewhere else, listening to leave when they were told, and now Taehyung was left on the dirty filthy floor he thought was sparkly clean. He stares up at the blinding fluorescent lights and doesn't stop when dots fill his vision, feeling everything in him give up and go stale. People looked at him with worried eyes, but the brunette just blocked out the gazes and words directed towards him. His whole mind swam and broke apart: crumbled.

Taehyung felt almost dead, because his pretty boy was truly that way.

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last chapter.

oh.

pls read the epilogue, it's already posted.